And an Adieu to You
by Bay Alexison
Summary: Professor Sycamore thinks Lysandre is dead, but he's actually still alive. And Lysandre comes to visit him.


**Author's Note:** Wrote this for a Yuletide fanfic exchange over at Serebii forums, and one of the suggested prompts was that Lysandre's still alive after one incident from near the game's end, so some spoilers if you haven't finished the X/Y games yet. Thanks to Serebii/PC user diamondpearl476 for her great help in this!

xxx

When nighttime came, Diantha made a call to Augustine through the Holo Caster while he was in his office. It had been some weeks since they last talked, so this was a delightful surprise for him. During their conversation, she mentioned about the battle she had with Serena a few hours ago.

"Oh, so Serena had just beaten you?" Augustine asked her.

"Yes. The way she and her Pokémon worked so well together truly inspired me to become a better trainer and actress."

"No doubt you felt that way," he said with a chuckle. "I take it you'll be bringing her to Lumiose City?"

Diantha nodded. "We'll be leaving first thing tomorrow morning and should arrive within a few days. Are all the preparations ready?"

"I still have some last minute stuff that needs to be done, but I'm confident everything will be set by then!"

"Wonderful. I must be going, now, so you have a good night, Augustine!"

"You do the same, Diantha," Augustine said and the hologram disappeared. He leaned back on his chair, stretching his arms out wide. The last few days had been busy for him as he was planning a parade for Serena and her friends once they arrived in Lumiose City. It was a huge accomplishment that they had stopped Team Flare, so they deserved something nice for their troubles.

 _Team Flare._ He frowned, feeling like his heart had been tied in a knot.

When Lysandre had announced to the world that he was the leader of that organization, Augustine was speechless. Augustine was aware of his frustration with the world's resources being used up, but he didn't think Lysandre would go extreme lengths to want to wipe out almost all of humanity. He blamed himself for being too caught up with his friend's passion for wanting a better world. There was then the news of Lysandre's body not found in the rubble that occurred in Geosenge Town, which caused him to believe that he was either dead or missing.

Several days later, he had told Serena of his disappointment when he met her at Couriway Town. While Augustine admitted he turned cheerful too fast right after when wanting to challenge her to a battle, that was his way of coping his mixed feelings over Lysandre's actions. If only he had talked to him sooner...

A loud knock on the door interrupted Augustine's thoughts. After he straightened himself up, he called out for the person to come in. Augustine waited until one of his scientists stepped inside his office.

"Oh, Dr. Helms!" he greeted with a smile. "Is there something you want you to talk to me about?" The scientist mentioned there was someone that wanted to see him and Augustine cocked his eyebrow. It was getting late now, and he didn't expect anyone to drop by his lab tonight. Nonetheless, he was curious over the person's reason for the surprise visit. "All right, send them in."

Dr. Helms made a single nod and left the office. A minute later, someone else stepped inside. He wore a blue overcoat along with a scarf around his neck and a hat over his head. The man also carried a leather bag. For some reason his blue eyes and clean shaven face caught Augustine's interest, as if he had recognized him from somewhere, but he brushed that suspicion off.

"Hello, I'm Professor Sycamore!" Augustine greeted and grinned. "Please make yourself comfortable." He gestured his hand towards the chair across from him and watched as his visitor took the seat. "Now then, what can I help you with?"

"You're still as cheerful as ever, Augustine," the man said with a smirk, which caused him to flinch. Not only did he know his name, but his voice sounded familiar, too. Before Augustine could finish putting everything together, the visitor took off his hat to show off his now much shorter orange hair.

"Lysandre?" he said, his eyes wide in shock. This must be a dream, right?

Lysandre chuckled. "Surprised to see me, huh?"

Surprised was an understatement. That was definitely his closest friend, without the beard and wild hairstyle, in front of him. Augustine's hands began to shake.

"The explosion in Geosenge Town..." he managed to stutter. "I thought you were dead for sure!"

"My Pokémon actually saved me the last minute and I managed to escape before being buried in the rumble. I then decided to fake my death and alter my appearance so that I don't get caught by the international police."

While letting what Lysandre said sink in, Augustine climbed out of his seat and faced the window on his left. So he was running away from his mistakes. He was sure if he tried to turn him into the international police, Lysandre wouldn't hesitate using his Pokémon against him. Looking outside, he could see the Prism Tower lit up brightly from a far distance.

"Why are you here?" he asked when he twirled back to glare at Lysandre.

"There are a few things I want to get off my chest. First off, I want to apologize for my involvement as Team Flare's boss and for causing so much trouble."

"You almost destroyed all of Kalos!" Augustine screamed and raised his arms, all of the overwhelming emotions that boiled inside him the past month finally released. "If I had known of your plans way sooner, we could've talked about this!" He then hung his head down and said in a low voice, "I did believe in your vision of a beautiful world."

Lysandre let out a shaky breath. "I know, and I deserved to not be forgiven. Being in hiding for a month, though, made me realize the full extent of my actions."

Still frustrated with him, Augustine turned away to stare outside his window again. How Lysandre could casually apologized like that? As he clenched his fist, Augustine actually wanted to throw several papers at him, but he didn't want to make a scene.

"So, you're planning a parade?" Lysandre asked and that brought back his attention. He saw him holding one of the flyers stacked on the desk. Augustine had " _Huge parade in Lumiose City!"_ printed in colorful letters and the Prism Tower showered with confetti in the background. His assistants had thought the flyers were cute.

"Yes," he said and coughed. "It's for that group of trainers that had stopped you and Team Flare." Augustine crossed his arms, his eyes shifting away from Lysandre briefly. It was awkward telling him that.

"I see. I'm sure everyone in Lumiose City will love it." When Lysandre grew quiet for a moment, his face fell. "There's also another reason for my visit. I'm leaving Kalos because of the atrocities I had caused here. I haven't decided where I'll go, but I know I can't stay in this region any longer."

"Oh." His stomach jumped. It shouldn't be a surprise to him, the former Team Flare boss wanting to run away and all, and yet he was stunned to hear that.

"That's not all. Before my departure, I want to leave you a few things of mine."

Lysandre immediately pulled out from his bag four Pokéballs, a small box, and a ring with a colorful stone, setting them aside. Curious, Augustine went back to his desk and sunk into his chair to have a closer look at the items. He picked up the ring and gasped, realizing that—

"Are you entrusting me with your Mega Ring? And your Pokémon?"

"My Pokémon, including Pyroar who has been with me the longest, deserve someone better to watch over them. That Mega Stone is for Gyrados."

Lysandre's finger pointed at the box and Augustine didn't hesitate in opening it. Inside was a large orange stone with blue and red swirls—indeed this was the Gyradosite. He couldn't help but make a sad chuckle.

"You forgot that I'm not that good with Mega Evolution," he said as he closed the box.

"It doesn't matter. I know for certain my Pokémon will be happy with you."

As he pondered over the offer, his mouth twitched _. Not only is he leaving me his Pokémon, but also his other belongings._ That thought still stunned him.Lysandre did sound genuine and seem to put some serious thought into this. Augustine couldn't bring himself to forgive him, but it would be rude to leave the Pokémon behind. He was a professor, after all. Was it wrong of him to accept the favor? Perhaps. And yet, it was also the right thing to do. Augustine inhaled and looked straight back at Lysandre.

"Okay, I'll watch over them, but only because it feels wrong if I decline. And I'll keep your Mega Ring and the Gyradosite safe."

"I do truly appreciate you doing this for me." Lysandre smiled, and Augustine could tell it was a genuine one. Another silence between them followed, and lingered.

"So, I guess this is goodbye," he said, knowing that would be the case. Augustine's eyes dropped on the floor.

"I'm sorry we're not able to work this out in the end, but I do value our friendship very much."

"Me too." In spite of himself, he smiled a little. After talking with him some more, he was much calmer than a moment ago.

The two men got up at the same time and Augustine let out his hand to Lysandre. Instead of shaking it, though, his friend's soft lips pressed on his skin and that caused him to flush. This was the first time Lysandre was being affectionate towards him. His body grew warm from that gesture.

"Adieu, Augustine," he said, putting his hat back on.

As Augustine watched him leave the office, his finger rubbed at the spot where Lysandre had just kissed. In the end he was glad his friend had dropped by to say his last goodbye. Shortly after, Dr. Helms returned to his office and he snapped back to reality.

"Is everything all right, Professor Sycamore?" The scientist had a concerned expression on his face.

"Nothing to worry about, Dr. Helms!" he said, beaming. "My visitor just came by to drop a few things for me."

"Ah, I see. Well, I'll be heading home now. You have a good night!"

Augustine told him to have a safe trip back and Dr. Helms left him alone. He picked Lysandre's Mega Ring up once more and twirled it around, admiring the helix sigil on the stone. The professor was reminded back when he and Diantha had discussed Mega Evolution with Serena. He may not be able to use the Gyradosite to its full potential, but he would continue to keep researching that concept. Lysandre would want him to do that.

"And an adieu to you, Lysandre," he whispered, still fixing his gaze at the ring.


End file.
